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World Cup preview: Brazil's roughness worries Germany

Nesha Starcevic; and Mike Corder
7:37 p.m. PDT July 7, 2014

Dutch forward Arjen Robben (left) and Argentina captain Lionel Messi figure to put on quite a show Wednesday when two of the world’s best forwards lead their respective teams in a bid to reach Sunday’s World Cup final.(Photo: Getty Images)

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil – Germany coach Joachim Loew is worried about Brazil's "brutal" tackling in recent games, and appealed to the referee of their World Cup semifinal to be on the lookout for such tactics.

Germany and Brazil play today in Belo Horizonte, with Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez in charge of the match.

Loew was one of many observers who took note of the bruising quarterfinal between Brazil and Colombia, and said that tackling by both sides was often "brutal and almost over the limit."

"My hope, or what I expect, is that the referee Rodriguez keeps an eye on these things," Loew said. "In Europe there would not be 22 players on the pitch at the end. There were many hard fouls from behind, from the side. You have to see that this brutal and robust physical side is stopped because then you won't have a Neymar, Messi … but other players who destroy the game."

Neymar, Brazil's biggest star, fractured a vertebra late in that game after taking a knee in the back, an injury that ruled him out of the rest of the World Cup.

Loew began a Monday news conference by once again expressing regret that Neymar will miss the match. Brazil captain and defender Thiago Silva also is out because of a suspension.

"A top player missing means other layers will take responsibility and I am sure they will play for Neymar and for Thiago," Loew said. "No one should think that Neymar's absence or Thiago Silva's is a disadvantage, with Dante playing you can't expect him to play badly, especially against Germany."

Center back Dante, who is expected to replace Silva, plays for Bayern Munich and is a teammate of many Germany players.

Loew said Brazil was sure to take commitment, passion and emotion and the "backing of 200 million" into the semifinal, but that Germany should not adjust to its opponent and will try to play its own game.

"We are confident and if we manage to play to our abilities, our hopes of reaching the final are not all that bad," Loew said.

Loew said that all 22 players remaining in his squad are fit and ready to play. Defender Shkodran Mustafi is out with a leg muscle injury.

Loew said Brazil was the favorite despite the absence of top stars.

"Such semifinals are a special occasion, the fight of the two continents, two European teams against two South American teams," he said.

Germany, a three-time champion, is playing in its fourth straight semifinal and hoping to reach its first final since 2002, when it lost to Brazil in the only previous World Cup match the two nations have played.

Dribblers Messi and Robben prepare to battle

RIO DE JANEIRO – The World Cup's best dribblers — Lionel Messi and Arjen Robben — face off when Argentina and Netherlands meet in the semifinals.

In Brazil, Robben has been quick, Messi has been quicksilver.

On Wednesday in Sao Paulo, either one could turn the semifinal with a dazzling turn of pace or a weaving run to propel his team to the final.

The Barcelona star led Argentina through the group stage with four goals. He also has made 180 passes in his five matches so far.

The Dutch have shared the goal-scoring duties more evenly — Robben and Robin van Persie each have three, Memphis Depay has two of the team's total of 12 — but the Bayern Munich winger's scintillating sprints with the ball have often been the highlights of Oranje matches.

"We know that we will play against one of the best teams when it comes to counterattacks because of the speed of their men up front," Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano said. "So we have to take precautions to not give them the possibility to counterattack, to always be well positioned, to not lose balls unnecessarily in areas where there's a lot of risk."

After scoring 10 times in group play, the Netherlands has managed only two in its two knock-out matches and the Dutch will be hoping captain Van Persie regains his touch in front of goal. He looked off the pace and missed an easy chance near the end of regulation time in the quarterfinal against Costa Rica.

The Netherlands will again be without their powerful midfield controller Nigel de Jong, who has a torn groin muscle. A possible replacement, Leroy Fer, is recovering from a hamstring injury and it is not clear whether he will be fit for Wednesday's semifinal at the Itaquerao Stadium.

Argentina will be without Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria, who limped off in the first half of his country's quarterfinal win over Belgium with a right thigh injury, but striker Sergio Aguero has been declared fit after recovering from a similar problem.

Di Maria scored the extra-time winner against Switzerland in the second round and set up Gonzalo Higuain's winning goal in the first half against Belgium on Saturday.

"He's a good player, but we look at the whole team, not one player," Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen said. "We're going to watch … how Argentina plays. We're going to make our plan to beat Argentina."

Whether that plan again could involve Cillessen being substituted a minute before a penalty shootout and replaced with the more physically imposing Tim Krul — as happened against Costa Rica — remains to be seen.

The move by tactical mastermind Louis van Gaal was the World Cup's most surprising substitution and one of its most effective as Krul stopped two penalties.

The two sides have a long World Cup history, including one of the Netherlands' most heart-breaking losses, in the 1978 final when Rob Rensenbrink's shot hit the post shortly before full time with the scores level at 1-1. Argentina went on to win 3-1 in extra time.

In 1998, the Dutch, led by Guus Hiddink, got a measure of revenge when Dennis Bergkamp's memorable goal knocked Argentina out in the quarterfinals in France.

Cillessen said beating Argentina in Sao Paulo would only be a step on the way to making amends for the 1978 final — one of three the Netherlands has lost, earning the Dutch the title of the best team never to win the World Cup.

"It would be revenge if we win the World Cup," Cillessen said. "But we have to wait for that. It's not a final. It's a semi."